Shoe-fastener.



No. 753,776. I BATENTED MAR. 1, 1904';

G. w. WISE.

' SHOE FASTENER. APPLIOATIQK FILED JUNE 10, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented March 1,1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

SHOE-FASTENER- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters l atent No. 753,776, dated March 1, 1904.

Application filed June 10, 1903.

To all whom it may concern.-

Beitknown that I, GEORGE W. WISE, acitizen of the United States of America, residing at Glenfield, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoe-Fasteners, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in shoe-fasteners, and has for its object the provision of novel means whereby a shoe may be readily fastened upon the wearer in a quick, effective, and substantial manner.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a fastening means which may be applied to the upper of any style of shoe, said fastening means constituting an elastic strip whereby the upper of the shoe may give to the foot of the wearer when the same is in use. A further object of my invention is to provide a shoe-fastener which will be extremely simple in construction, highly efficient in use, strong and durable and comparatively inexpensive to manufacture, and one which may be fastened and unfastened by persons inexperienced in the same.

In describing the invention in detail ref-- erence is had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and wherein like numerals of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views, in which Figure 1 is a perspective View of a shoe, showing my improved fastener secured thereon. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the eyelets employed by me, and Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the tongue of the shoe carrying the securing means.

To put my invention into practice, I provide an eyelet similar in construction to that generally used, said eyelet having a shank portion 1 thereof formed slightly heavier than the eyelet now generally in use, and in this shank portion is formed a wedge-shaped groove 2, which extends vertically through the eyelet adjacent to the aperture or opening 3 formed in the eyelet. These eyelets are secured upon the sides of the upper 4 and M1 No. 160,821. m. model.)

5 in the usual manner, the number of said eyelets to be used depending upon the size of the upper, and all of said eyelets are placed in a similar position upon the upper .except the first two eyelets, as indicated at 6 and 7. These eyelets are placed in the sides of the upper of the shoe, whereby the wedge-shaped groove 2 extends outwardly toward the edge of the shoe, while the other eyelets 8 (illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings) are secured in the upper of the shoe with the wedge-- shaped groove extending upwardly toward the top of the shoe, as illustrated at 9.

To the body portion of the shoe 10 the tongue 11 is secured, as indicated at 12, said tongue being made of any elastic material, preferably that now employed in the sides of the uppers on the Congress shoe. To the under side of this tongue 11 are secured by tabs 14 the wedge-shaped members 15, which when the shoe is secured upon the foot of the wearer are adapted to fit into the wedge-shaped grooves 2 of the eyelets. The wedge-shaped members 15 are secured upon the tabs 14 by any suitable means, said tabs being made of a flexible material, whereby the same may be easily and effectually placed in the wedge-shaped grooves 2 when desired. The tongue 11 may be rigidly secured to the body portion 10, as indicated at 12, or may only be held by the eyelets 6 and 7, which have their wedge-shaped grooves 2 formed outwardly, whereby when the shoe is unfastened by pulling on the tongue 11 all of the wedge-shaped members 15 will become disengaged from the eyelets except the two wedge-shaped members which are secured in the eyelets 6 and 7, the position of the wedge-shaped groove 2 preventing these members from becoming disengaged as readily as the members which are secured in the eyelets 8. When the shoe is fastened upon the foot of the wearer, the elastic tongue 11 being made slightly narrower than the distance between the eyelets on the sides 4 and 5 of the upper, the same will have to be expanded in order to engage the wedge-shaped members 15 in the eyelets 8. It can be readily seen that when the shoe is fastened and it is desired to unfasten the same a slight pull upon the end 16 of the tongue 11 will disengage the wedge-shaped members 15 from eyelets 8, whereby the shoe may be removed from the foot of the wearer.

It will be noted that I may employ any desired construction of tabs to secure the wedgeshaped members 15 to the tongue 11, and while I have herein shown the eyelets of the specific form as illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings it is obvious that the construction of these may be slightly changed Without departing from the general spirit of the invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A shoe-fastener comprising a plurality of eyelets secured to each side of the opening of the upper of the shoe, said eyelets having a wedge-shaped groove formed adjacent to the aperture of said eyelet, a tongue carrying a plurality of wedge-shaped members, said wedge-shaped members adapted to be secured in the wedge-shaped grooves formed in the eyelets, substantially as described.

2. A shoe-fastener comprising a plurality of eyelets secured to each side of the opening of the uppers of shoes, said eyelets having a Wedge-shaped groove formed adjacent to the opening formed in the eyelets, a tongue carrying a plurality of Wedge shaped members adapted to be secured in the wedge-shaped grooves of the eyelets, said Wedge-shaped members being attached to flexible tabs secured to the under face of the tongue, substantially as described.

3. A shoe-fastener comprising a plurality of eyelets secured upon each side of the opening formed in the upper of the shoe, said H. (l. EVERT, K. H. BUTLEN. 

